“The heyday was Reconstruction, really. And then, starting about 1890, Arkansas imposed statutes that forced black people out of public office and made it impossible to vote -- Jim Crow laws -- and I just started to be amazed.”

“For an ordinary, small-town lawyer, he accomplished incredible things. He reached heights one wouldn't expect of an African-American lawyer -- or any lawyer coming from his background. And these days, no one knows it.”